Platform carton



June 25, 1963 R. A. BERG PLATFORM CARTON Filed April 19, 1961 INVENTOR. W05 1?] 14. BZ'WG BY4ZZz' &

United States Patent 3,095,086 PLATFORM CARTGN Robert A. Berg, Chicago, 111., assignor to Weyerhaenser Company, Tacoma, Wash, a corporation of Washington Filed Apr. 19, 1961, Ser. No. 104,026 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-4519) This invention relates to a carton having a platform within wmch an article may be displayed.

Many products, as for example bottles or golf balls, have a conformation that makes it difi'icult to store them or display them properly. A common solution to the storage problem is to place the product in a carton which may be stacked and stored easily. However, for proper protection, the product must be held rigidly within the carton and for proper display it must be spaced from the carton walls so that it, rather than the carton, will predominate. These requirements must be met simply and effectively so that the carton will be easy to assemble and will be locked positively in its assembled condition.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a carton that will properly display a product and hold it rigidly in place within the carton.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a carton of simple one-piece construction for displaying a product and holding it rigidly in place within the carton.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a carton of simple one-piece construction having a platform placed centrally thereof through which a product may protrude and be held rigidly in place.

It is another object of this invention to provide a carton of simple one-piece construction which utilizes only two glue lines for its assembly and which may be locked positively in its assembled condition.

These and other objects of this invention will become readily apparent upon a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the attached drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of blank for the carton.

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of the carton showing a method of assembly.

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the carton with portions cut away showing a method of assembly of the carton and details of the carton construction.

FIGURE 4 is an isometric View of the carton with a product placed therein.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the numeral indicates a preferred form of blank for a carton 100. Blank 16 has a central longitudinal section 11 comprising respectively a front cover flap 2%, a cover 21, a rear wall 22, a base 23, a front wall 24, a front glue flap 25, a platform 26, and a rear glue flap 27, hingedly connected together along score or fold lines 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36.

The central section 11 also has a pair of longitudinal score lines 40 extending along its edges. These latter score lines hingedly connect side cover flaps 50 to cover 21, side extensions 60 to base 23 and front and rear walls 24 and 22, and side platform flaps 70 to platform 26. As shown in FIGURE 1, portions of score lines 40 between fiaps 70 and platform 26 are cut to form tab elements 41 which provide locking apertures 42 in the platform.

Another aperture, aperture 86, is also formed in the platform 26 and is shaped to conform to the product to be displayed therein so that the product will be positioned rigidly within the carton and will be spaced from the side walls of the carton.

The side walls are formed by the side extensions 60. Each of these extensions is divided into three sections by transverse fold lines 32 and 33. These sections, correspending to the base 23 and the front and rear walls 24 and 22, are a side wall section 68 adjacent the base 23 and a pair of bellows flap sections 69 adjacent the front and rear walls 24 and 22. Section 68 has a side wall 61 and a locking flap 62 hingedly connected together along a fold line 63. On the outer edge of the locking flap 62 is a pair of locking tabs 64 which fit into the locking apertures 42 in the assembled carton. A bellows flap section 69 comprises two triangular members 65 and 66 which fold together along a fold line 67 when the carton is assembled.

In this assembly, an adhesive material is first placed on the upper face of front glue flap 25 and on the lower face of rear glue flap 27. This operation may be performed either at the carton plant or at the point of final carton assembly. If it is performed at the carton plant, it is part of a preassembly operation in which the front and rear glue flaps are adhered to the front and rear walls. This is done by bending the front glue flap 25, in association with platform 26 and the rear glue flap 27, along fold line 34 until these parts overlay front wall 24 and base 23. Then the rear wall 22, and the associated cover 21, are bent along fold line 32 until the rear wall overlays glue flap 27. Pressure is applied to the assembly, adhering the front and rear walls 24 and 22 to their respective glue flaps 25 and 27. The lay-flat carton assembly is now ready for shipment to its point of use.

Another method of performing the above operation is shown in FIGURE 2. This method combines the placement and adhesion of the glue flap-s with a second operation in which the front and rear walls 24 and 22 are placed upright of the base 23.

When the walls are in this upright condition, the platform 26 is spaced from and parallel to the base. The flaps 79 are bent downwardly toward the base, raising the elements 41 above the platform and forming the locking apertures 42. Each of the bellows sections 69 is then bent inwardly along fold line 67, drawing side walls 61 upwardly until they are upright of base 23. At this point the bellows sections 69 will be between the side walls 61|and platform flaps 7 0.

The bellows sections 69 must be locked in place in order to lock the carton in its assembled condition. For this purpose, the locking flaps 62 are bent over the bellows sections 69 and the locking tabs 64 are inserted into the locking apertures 42 of the platform 26, positively locking the carton in its assembled form. The finished appearance of the upper edges of the carton walls also contribute to its pleasing appearance.

The product or products are then placed in aperture 89, the cover flaps 20 and 50 are bent inwardly, and the cover is placed over the product with the flaps being placed inside the front and side walls.

While specific details of preferred embodiments have been set forth above, it will be apparent that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will, therefore, be understood that what has been described herein is intended to be illustrative only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. -A carton comprising a base having upstanding side, front and rear walls,

a platform within the said carton located between said base and the top of said walls, said platform being approximately parallel to said base,

side flaps extending downwardly from the sides of said platform,

said platform having locking apertures adjacent the juncture of said side flaps and said platform, said 3 apertures being inward of the front and rear edges of said side flaps,

lsaid platform also having a product holding aperture in the center portion thereof,

bellows fold members hingedly connected to said side wall and said front Wall, and extending between said side walls and said platform side flaps,

a locking flap hingedly connected to the upper edge of each of said side walls and extending downwardly toward said platform, said locking flap having locking tabs on its outer edge extending through said locking apertures,

a cover member hingedly connected to said rear wall, said member having downwardly extending front and side flaps.

2. A carton comprising a base having upstanding side,

front and rear walls,

a platform within the said carton located between said base and the top of said walls, said platform being approximately parallel to said base,

side flaps extending downwardly from the sides of said platform,

said side flaps having tab elements extending upwardly of said platform,

said platform having locking apertures along the sides thereof in alignment with said tab elements and having a product holding aperture in the center portion thereof,

bellows fold members comprising a pair of triangular sections hingedly connected together along a common edge and binged'ly connected to said side wall and said front wall respectively along their opposite edges, said members extending between said side walls and said platform side flaps,

a locking flap hingedly connected to the upper edge of each of said side walls and extending downwardly toward said platform, said locking flap having locking tabs on its outer edge extending through said locking apertures,

a cover member bingedly connected to said rear wall, said member having downwardly extending front and side flaps.

3. A blank for a carton comprising an elongated sheet having transverse score lines thereon forming respectively a front cover flap, a cover member, a rear wall member, a base member, a front wall member, a front glue flap, a platform member, and a rear glue flap,

said blank having a pair of longitudinal score lines thereon; said longitudinal score lines dividing said cover member into side cover flaps and a central cover, a

said rear wall member into side bellows fold sections and a central rear wall,

said base member into side Wall sections and a central base,

said front wall member into side bellows fold sections and a central front wall,

said platform member into platform side flaps and a central platform,

said blank having slits therein between said platform side flaps and said platform, said slits being adjacent said longitudinal score lines and defining tab elements on said side flaps extending into said platform,

said platform having a product receiving aperture therein,

said side wall sections having longitudinal score lines therein aligned with the outer edges of said bellows fold sections,

said latter score lines defining a side wall adjacent said base and a locking flap spaced from said base,

said locking flap having locking tabs on its outer edge which are in alignment with said tab elements in the assembled carton.

4. The blank of claim 3 in which said sheet has slots extending outwardly of said first pair of longitudinal score lines between said side cover flaps and said rear Wall bellows sections, and between said front wall bellows sections and said platform side zflaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,673,975 Feigelman June 19, 1928 2,303,264- Flick Nov. 24, 1942 2,465,169 OConnor Mar. 22, 1949 2,747,732 Fischer May 29, 1956 2,924,371 Frankenstein Feb. 9', 1960 

1. A CARTON COMPRISING A BASE HAVING UPSTANDING SIDE, FRONT AND REAR WALLS, A PLATFORM WITHIN THE SAID CARTON LOCATED BETWEEN SAID BASE AND THE TOP OF SAID WALLS, SAID PLATFORM BEING APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO SAID BASE, SIDE FLAPS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE SIDES OF SAID PLATFORM, SAID PLATFORM HAVING LOCKING APERTURES ADJACENT THE JUNCTURE OF SAID SIDE FLAPS AND SAID PLATFORM, SAID APERTURES BEING INWARD OF THE FRONT AND REAR EDGES OF SAID SIDE FLAPS, SAID PLATFORM ALSO HAVING A PRODUCT HOLDING APERTURE IN THE CENTER PORTION THEREOF, BELLOWS FOLD MEMBERS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID SIDE WALL AND SAID FRONT WALL, AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALLS AND SAID PLATFORM SIDE FLAPS, A LOCKING FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE UPPER EDGE OF EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID PLATFORM, SAID LOCKING FLAP HAVING LOCKING TABS ON ITS OUTER EDGE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID LOCKING APERTURES, A COVER MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID REAR WALL, SAID MEMBER HAVING DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FRONT AND SIDE FLAPS. 